Quinoa Protein Energy Bars

I hope you have had a lovely festive period, and that the New Year was greeted with a bang. Have you made any resolutions? What sort of things did you get up to?

Over the last few years we’ve started a new family tradition of bringing in the New Year watching the Jools Holland Hootenanney on BBC 2. I set out some nibbles, us grown ups share a bottle of something (Prosecco this year) while the kids drink something nice out of posh glasses.

The thing is that this New Year’s Eve I was being sensible. I didn’t want to start the New Year off with a hangover and I began my sensible eating plan (in a bid to shed the 1 kg I put on over the Christmas week), on Monday the 28th. So, that bottle of Prosecco wasn’t going to be opened until Jools Holland started at 11:10 pm (I’d drawn a little 125 ml line on my glass so I could calorie count it! I’d earned these prosecco calories in advance with a hard core P90X3 work out!).

I had some time to kill before the festivities began.

The weather lately has been absolutely atrocious. On the mainland they’ve been calling it Storm Frank (has that finished now?). Up here we’ve been calling it ‘winter’, because the wind and gales of this extent are something we’re used to with living on an exposed rock in the middle of the North Sea.

I checked the weather forecast for New Years Day. The wind was supposed to die down (only 21 mph rather than the 56 mph gusting to hurricane force we’ve grown accustomed to lately) and it was going to be sunny! The dark, dreary, heavy cloud was going to lift for the day!

I had a notion.

I was going to climb Ronas Hill once and for all. Ronas Hill is Shetland’s highest hill, a marilyn standing at 450 metres, and despite living on these islands for nearly 17 years I’d never yet made it to the top (and it hasn’t been for lack of trying – see our Simmer Dim Camping Story!). You can see this hill, pictured below back in November with her winter frock on, from our house. It taunts me – come and play! I was going to check to see if there was a cloud sitting on her first thing in the morning (they do that, clouds – even if the rest of the sky is blue and clear, sometimes clouds have a wee little rest on top of Ronas Hill.) I was going to climb it, and I was going to climb it myself.

So, at ten pm on New Years Eve I was found in my kitchen preparing a batch of protein bars to take with me on my hike. I tweaked this recipe using the ingredients I had on hand in my kitchen – namely, a jar of macadamia nut butter a blog reader/Twitter follower gifted me when she visited Shetland last summer (thank you Jude!), the last of my flax seed and some raw cacao nibs Santa had brought me in my Christmas stocking.

There’s only six hours of daylight this far north this time of year, so after checking if there was any cloud sitting on top of the hill (there wasn’t!) I set out early with a rucksack loaded with provisions (just in case the cloud came in and I ended up lost. This sort of thing happens frequently.) – a wind up torch, a GPS, spare batteries for said GPS, mobile phone, spare socks, and a packed lunch including some extra protein energy bars.

I made it!

It took me one hour exactly after parking at the top of Collafirth Hill and climbing to the cairn at the top of Roga Field (294 metres) and then to the cairn at Mid Field (388 metres) to reach the summit of Ronas Hill and phone my husband to let him know I’d made it.

Such stunning views! I could see all the way north to Unst, the most northerly island in the UK. I could see the lighthouse at Eshaness on the west side, I could see the Out Skerries off the east coast and I’m sure I could have seen quite far south if the sun hadn’t been in my eyes. Photographs don’t do it justice.

It was bitterly cold though! I was very grateful for my husband’s sealskinz gloves. They kept my fingers nice and toasty warm while I explored the area. At the top of Ronas Hill there is a Neolithic cairn (dating back to 4000 – 2500 BCE) and an Ordinance Survey trig point with a low stone wall built around it.

Behind the trig point I found a sturdy metal container containing a log book to sign! How fantastic!

It was at this point I sheltered and had a spot of lunch, a half sandwich and cappucino and one of my lovely superfood plant protein energy bars. It’s packed full of all sorts of awesome superfood goodness – quinoa, flax, oats, seeds, nut butter, honey and the addition of both ground and whole raw cacao nibs gives it a lovely texture. I was really rather impressed with them, but given I’d only had six hours sleep and I was fueled on coffee and a banana that morning, I was quite hungry!

I’m not going to pretend that these protein energy bars are healthy. They’re not. They’re loaded with sugar and fat, but as far as fuel for hillwalking goes – they’re pretty awesome.

The quinoa in this recipe isn’t cooked. Rather, it’s whizzed up in a high speed blender (I use the Froothie Optimum 9400) along with the flax seeds and some raw cacao nibs. Quinoa is rather high in protein – 14 grams per 100 grams of the grain.

I confess I only have one photograph of these bars. I arranged them on the top of the trig point for a photograph, and standing up out of the shelter of the surrounding wall – my fingers haven’t been that cold since I was a child in Canada! We used to spend hours out ice skating and our toes would freeze. As they defrosted in the warmth of the house they would burn with pain, and my fingers did just that as they defrosted back in my gloves on the way back down the hill. It was so cold!

It’s a very lunar landscape, isn’t it. Ronas Hill is an ancient magma chamber from a volcano from long long ago, hence it’s red stone. Centuries of freezing and thawing in the sub-Arctic climate has fractured the stone, creating the bizarre and unique landscape you see now.

I spotted two pure white hares and a few unknown to me bird species while up on Ronas Hill. Other than that I had the entire place to myself. Bliss.

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Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary uses the Froothie Optimum 9400 blender and the Froothie Optimum 600 slow juicer in many of her recipes. These are affiliate links, meaning if you buy a blender or juicer through them we will earn a small commission. This is not a paid post and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

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What a splendid way to start the mew year indeed. I love these ‘out and about in Shetland’ posts of yours Elizabeth, I’ve learnt so much. I’d always thought Shetland was really flat – how wrong I was. Your protein bars sound delicious and also pretty healthy, there’s only the honey that’s possibly questionable, but I’m not even sure of that. Thanks for sharing with #WeShouldCocoaChocolate Lover recently posted…Aubergine Dip, The Cranks Bible and a Giveaway #70

Sounds like you had a great New Year, and congrats on making it up your own personal Everest! I’ve never tried quinoa so I don’t know if these sound yummy or not, but I’ll assume they are :p Stephanie xOui Stephanie recently posted…Payday Wishlist

Stunning views and it is fascinating to discover the history that surrounds us. I have never tried quinoa before what does it taste like?Ana De- Jesus recently posted…Places To Shoot in London: A Directory

The bars look delicious, I should save your recipe as I want to make some bars myself. I like your idea with the wine glass, I’m counting calories and this is a very helpful trick.Anca recently posted…Eating healthy while away with work

Wow, that was a sensible new year eve – well done you! Mine was a little less sensible 😉 But I am back on track.
We make a lot of energy bars like this and they make a nice little snack.Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Winter Lentil Salad by Dannii

Stunning photographs. But I can’t quite get my head around the idea that you only get 6 hours of daylight – eek. I live in Sussex so we get way more than that, but I still feel miserable about the lack of daylight at this time of the year. I now realise how fortunate I am to have as much as I do! Your protein bars look so delicious! It is one of my new year’s resolutions to eat more ‘good’ food like nuts and seeds. So I need to start making stuff like this! I do also like the idea of earning a glass of prosecco – perhaps that’s the motivation I need to do more exercise 🙂

WOw, Wow, Wow!! OH & I love Scotland and have dreams of moving up there one day (from Yorkshire, way down south from you), so your images of the Marilyn (love that) cloaked in her winter scarf and the views from the summit of the cairn have made me feel keener than ever to get back up to Scotland. We’ve never been as far north as the Shetlands before, Mull has been the most northerly island we’ve been to so far.
Your protein bars certainly sound perfect for a trek up into the hills (PS, do be careful venturing up there on your own!)
Angela xAngela / Only Crumbs Remain recently posted…Energy Balls – Date, Apple & Almonds

Wow, thank you for sharing your photos. I love it that you share that they’re not healthy, so funny. But when you go on such a gorgeous and rigorous hike, you totally must bring something delicious and compact. My family has nut allergies, but I’m thinking that it’s super easy to substitute with an alternative butter. Thank you!!!

What utterly enchanting images, Elizabeth. Ever since I started reading you I have been pulled in by your top-notch images of food and places. I can see why Ronas Hill was calling you, and your photos do indeed do it justice – stunning. If I had that on my doorstep I would be wanting to be at the top too. I wouldn’t have dared go alone though. My depth perception is so terrible I would have ended up at the bottom of it.:-( Nad your protein bars are a fitting power food for replacing all of those calories you burned in the cold! Stay warm!kellie@foodtoglow recently posted…15-Minute Thai Coconut-Broccoli Soup Recipe

Happy new year elizabeth – what a great new year tradition to watch jools holland – maybe you will now have a new tradition of the new year’s day climb up ronas hill! Love your energy bars – and it is refreshing to hear someone say these energy bars aren’t really healthy if you haven’t climbed a hill! Best wishes for 2016Johanna GGG recently posted…Reflections on 2015: most popular, blog overview etc

I won’t complain that you only have one photo as that is quite a background! Besides, the bars sure look scrumptious and am sure is the perfect energy booster!!!Manila Spoon recently posted…Top 15 Recipes of 2015

Hah – so I was not the only one being sensible on new year’s eve ;o) What great shots, especially of the protein bars in situ 🙂 Wishing you all the best for a spectacular 2016!Jeanne Horak-Druiff recently posted…An evening of fine wine with P&O Cruises

Aw thanks Joanne 🙂 I realise loads of people do all this hill climbing on their own, but I’d never before braved it so I was rather pleased with myself. Here’s to many more hills, and later on in the year, a mountain! (big plans!)Elizabeth recently posted…Review: Optimum ThermoCook – A Multi-Function Cooking Appliance

Energy bars are great for walks,easily stored and they give you that much needed boost. This one looks great. I’ve been blending quinoa into powder fo a few years and adding it to dishes, but never thought of doing that with seeds and cacao nibs.Jacqueline Meldrum recently posted…Top 15 Veggie & Vegan Recipes of 2015 – Readers Choice

I honestly had never heard of blending quinoa into powder until I found that recipe! Such a great idea! Cacao makes everything that much better though, wouldn’t you agree? 😀Elizabeth recently posted…Banitsa – Bulgarian Cheese Pie

Aw thanks Linda! It’s so difficult taking photographs this time of year with the poor light, so I’m so glad it was a nice day – everything worked perfectly that day. 🙂Elizabeth recently posted…Raw Chocolate and Clementine Mini Cheesecakes

Wow well done for reaching it and sticking to your goal! I had notions of climbing Pen Y Fan New Year’s Day as we were close to it, but I wasn’t as sensible as you and was too hungover to do it. I’ll have to pass this recipe on to my husband for when he’s going out surfing for hours, I’m sure this would help!
Thanks for entering and linking up with We Should Cocoa x

Thanks Lisa 🙂 I can be pretty stubborn when I set my mind to something! I know it’s just a hill, and not a particularly big one at that, but still – I feel like I have achieved something. 🙂 Thanks for hosting such a great challenge, and if your husband does try my recipe do let me know what he thinks!Elizabeth recently posted…The Ultimate Guide to Coffee

Those photos are beautiful! I’m 2 days in to the new year and i’ve not left the house yet! I’m glad you had such a lovely time out, i’m so jealous!
-Wishing I could eat quinoa too haha! xx thanks for sharing.

Wow! Love this, I love how you came across the log book! Bet it was amazing seeing everyone’s messages. So glad I came across your blog, excited to spend tomorrow in the kitchen trying out your recipe! Happy new year xxx

wow! Well done for achieving your mountain climbing goals! That’s very good of you!… we went down to London to a wedding which was so lovely but very alcohol fuelled! These quinoa bars look rather lovely but perhaps a little too healthy… oh but then it’s only just Jan 2nd! Happy New Year!Dom recently posted…Simply Eggcellent #11 – start the year on an egg…

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